"Can't We All Get Along?" Today's Political Discourse Through the Eyes of Adam Bede Characters

In 1799 rural life in Britain was relatively similar across the country. Most people were poor and struggled to provide for their families. The romanticization of a young woman dreaming of living a life of luxury with a with a wealthy squire and the strange notion of a woman preacher would have been common encounters for rural citizens across Europe.

Mary Ann Evans published Adam Bede in 1859. This was a period of time where enlightenment thinking had become part of society long enough for it to start to sink into action. This was also a time of religious tension in England. Enlightenment principles like individual social liberty and tolerance of other individuals were portrayed in characters like Mr. Irwine and Dinah. These characters were accepting and thought that all humans deserved respect:

"These fellow-mortals, every one, must be accepted as they are: you can neither straighten their noses, nore brighten their wit, nor rectify their dispositions; and it is these people--amongst whom your life is passed--that it is needful you should tolerate, pity and love: it is these more or less ugly, stupid, inconsistent people, whose movements of goodness you should be able to admire--" (Narrator, 17:160)

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Dinah set out to prove that caring for the dispossessed is the most important part of religion and Mr. Irwine was respectful of Dinah's title as a preacher despite being a woman.

As I skimmed through the reviews the comments mentioned themes kindness and tolerance. With the polarizing climate of politics and the dangerous rhetoric taking place in media, it seems as though the notion of kindness and tolerance has been lost.

As I have sought to find the truth concerning social issues we face in society I have found that the intentions of those supposedly fighting for the dispossessed are less concerned with helping the afflicted and more concerned about hating and smearing their opposition. Has the enlightenment value of the sovereign individual been lost? Are we being forced to join ideology groups to feel part of the compassionate cause?

I definitely don't have the answers, but a song written by Kenny Chesney in light of today's political discourse comes to mind:

"Get along on down the road
We've got a long, long way to go
Scared to live, scared to die
We ain't perfect, but we try
Get along while we can
Always give love the upper hand
Paint a wall
Learn to dance, call your Mom
Buy a boat, drink a beer
Sing a song, make a friend
Can't we all
Get along."       

While the premise may be simple and commonsensical, I think Mary Ann Evens, Dinah, and Mr. Irwine would all agree with Mr. Chesney.

     

     

Becoming Greater

“Behold, the man is become as one of us [meaning like the gods]”

Genesis 3:22. The Father of Heaven himself proclaims the unlimited potential of humankind and our destiny to become gods. Man, because of their fall, has received the divine gift of “knowing good and evil”. The possibilities are limitless.

Now what does this have to do with the Renaissance?

After nearly nine centuries of silence, this truth concerning man’s glorious potential rang forth again. In 14th century Italy, a “rebirth” of interest in classical civilization began. The scholar Petrarch, now known as the father of humanism, propelled this movement when he discovered long-lost writings of the great orator and statesman Cicero. Petrarch’s thirst for truer language and self-improvement reflected (and inspired) a yearning for a greater humanity. After the harrowing bubonic plague-- as Gideon Burton eloquently stated, “an equal-opportunity destroyer”-- feudal society’s structured class system and the sedimented economic locks were worn away. Thus, ancient Greek and Roman ideals brought forth by scholars were absorbed by a decimated Europe. Now, however, they were fused with Medieval faith. The hybridization of these worlds-- pagan and Christian, democratic and feudal-- created a unique era known as the Renaissance.

Nowhere is this fusion better embodied than in society’s new attitude towards mankind. The medieval society tended to view man as a lost, fallen creature totally dependent upon God’s mercy and Grace. While movers and shakers of the Renaissance did not deny this dependence upon God, they began to realize man’s potential to become like Him. To do so, they argued, would require a rigorous and well-rounded education, a flair for rhetoric, civil involvement, and a certain dignitas. As Pico Della Melandola stated, ““Let some holy ambition invade our souls, so that, dissatisfied with mediocrity, we shall eagerly desire the highest things and shall toil with all our strength to obtain them, since we may if we wish.”

"What a Piece of Work is Man"

One of the greatest movements of the Renaissance is summed up in the words of William Shakespeare.  "What a piece of work is man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and in moving, how express and admirable, in action, how like an angel, in apprehension, how like a God.” This idea encompasses the idea of humanism that sprung up during the early Italian Renaissance.  The worth of individuals and their accomplishments became of a greater value than they had ever been before.  In addition to this new idea, the focus of these accomplishments shifted to this life, rather than focusing on the next life.  

The idea of individualization is something that sets this time period apart from any other time.  Rather than accrediting accomplishments, talents, and gifts elsewhere, individuals began to take credit.  A very good example of this is when artists began to sign their works.  This was a way in which others were able to recognize and celebrate not only the work, but the individual as well.  Signing artistic works moved away from the “communal mentality of the middle ages” which Drogin recognizes in “Spare Me the Details.”  In short, this new focus on the individual is recognized today as a defining characteristic for the Renaissance, which did allow individuals to be liberated from dogma.